HOUSE EASES METH MOM PENALTIES

CHEYENNE -- The House on Thursday backed away from the prospect of
imposing felony prosecutions on mothers who exposed their newborn
children to methamphetamine in the womb.

Instead, the House adopted a sweeping amendment drafted by Majority
Floor Leader Colin Simpson, R-Cody, that expands the definition of
abuse under the Child Protective Services Act to include prenatal
exposure to methamphetamine. The House then passed the bill 39-21 on
final reading.

The change means that a mother who exposed her newborn to the drug
during pregnancy could be referred to drug court. The drug court, in
turn, could order to woman to get treatment, and any violation of
such an order could land the woman in jail for up to 90 days.

A felony conviction under the earlier version of the bill could have
resulted in prison sentences.

Although the amendment removed the prospect of felony prosecution for
meth mothers, the revised bill could still result in mothers losing
custody of their children to the state.

Critics of the bill said they're concerned that the legislation
threatens to deter drug-addicted women from seeking out necessary
medical care for themselves and their children. Public health
professionals from around the country wrote to Wyoming legislators
this week urging them to oppose the original bill on the grounds that
it would discourage women from seeking medical care.